How Mennonites Are Avoiding High Prices in West

Patrick Rogers

During this morning’s protest on gas prices in Belize City, political leader of the Belize Progressive Party Patrick Rogers alerted us to a novel way that Mennonites in the West are obtaining diesel fuel from crude oil extracted by Belize Natural Energy. He says it’s an idea that government should consider in light of the high prices instead of crippling taxes, which he says damages the economy.

Patrick Rogers, Political Leader, Belize Progressive Party

“Instead of calling it a tax, they went to the fuel prices, which is the most lucrative tax the Government could get, but it is the most dangerous tax because it’s so broad-based it affects every sector of the country except the Mennonites. Like I keep telling Belize, [they] have twenty-two separation plants that are able to buy crude oil from B.N.E., separate it and use the diesel in their production process. But when we have a Government that doesn’t think, just will use this form of taxation on the fuel which drives up the cost of production for every other sector and the service sector, then it is a damaging blow to the economy by removing funds from the private sector and putting it in Government’s hands, where it is just going to support their budget.”

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